THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE
" Through Asia " for Dr Hedin. The
translation is admirably done, and reads
as smoothly as if originally written in
English, while at the same time it pre
serves the fanciful diction of the au
thor. The English edition of the work
is dedicated, with the gratitude and ad
miration of the author, to Lord Curzon.
It is possible to mention here only a
few of Dr Hedin's more notable achieve
ments during the last journey: His
navigation of 1500 miles in a ferry-boat
down the River Tarim, the greatest in
land river of Asia; his discoveries of
the remains of populous cities dating
from the 3 d century A. D., with transla
tions of Chinese manuscripts, there un
earthed; his crossing of the mountains
of Tibet with the largest and strongest
caravan which has ever traversed that
country ; his extraordinary journey in
disguise towards Lhasa ; his discovery
of Tibetan spies warned of his intention
to enter Lhasa ; his captivity and escort
by 500 Tibetans; his conflicts with
them, and his voyage in an English
folding boat over twelve Tibetan lakes.
Dr Hedin's descriptions throughout
are most graphic which adds immensely
to the interest and value of his book.
One of the best is his account of a sand
storm in the desert.
" It drove right into my face with
terrific violence, smothering me with
sand and fine reddish-yellow powdery
dust. I could not see a single glimpse
of the caravan.
It was like wading
against running water or liquid mud,
and despite my most desperate efforts,
I was unable to make headway. My
previous footprints were entirely ob
literated-obscured the instant I lifted
my foot.
"The camels knelt in a long row,
with their necks stretched out flat on
the ground in the direction in which
the tempest was blowing. Close to the
earth the wind had a velocity of 4012
milesanhour;butonthetopofanad
jacent mound, only 6 or 7 feet high, it
was some 18 miles an hour more, or
581 miles in all, and I was only able
to keep my balance when I knelt. The
storm came from the northeast, and its
violence enabled me to form some idea
of the inconceivable quantities of sand
and dust which are transported by this
mighty agent towards the regions of
the west and southwest. When we
stooped down we were well nigh choked
by the swirling cloud, which careered
along the ground like a cataract, mak
ing little eddies of dust as it swept on.
Branches, tufts of grass, grains of sand
as big as peas were whirled into our
faces with stinging force."
When Dr Hedin reached his tent
after the storm he found that showers
of fine sand had penetrated through the
canvas and smothered everything in
the interior.
Climbs and Explorations in the Canadian
Rockies. By Hugh E. M. Stutfield
and J. Norman Collie. With many
illustrations and map. Pp. 342. 512
by 9 inches. New York: Longmans,
Green & Co.
1903. $4.00 net.
This is an interesting narrative of
travels in the mountains of Canada. It
truthfully portrays the difficulties of the
traveler and climber in reaching his goal
when situated at such a distance from the
base of supplies. The chapter giving an
outline history of the region is interest
ing in its list of names, ranking with our
own pioneers, Lewis and Clarke.
The details of conditions met with are
of value to those visiting the region as
prospective climbers.
The work done in correcting existing
maps is laudable, very few persons on
a pleasure outing taking any care of the
possibilities in this line.
To one interested in exploratory work
there is much that holds him. There is
practically no account of the geology of
the region. Compared with the Swiss
Alps, the authors say the climbs are
easier, and
" Last, but by no means least, in the
free, wild life of the backwoods can be
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